TW201818993A - System for wirelessly coupling in vivo - Google Patents

Abstract

Implantable systems are described that include a stimulation device positionable in vivo and configured to communicatively couple to electrodes configured to stimulate or block body tissue and an auxiliary device positionable in vivo and including one or more coils configured to wirelessly couple, in vivo, to the stimulation device and to wirelessly couple to an ex vivo device. The auxiliary device may include a coil driver and a power source controlled by a processor and memory for storing data instructions for the coil driver and for storing data received from the stimulation device. The auxiliary device may also include a radio transceiver and an antenna. The stimulation device may include a housing, a coil, a power source and an integrated circuit for controlling the electrodes. The stimulation device may be coupled to a cuff via a lead and physically coupled to the auxiliary device.

Description

   Wireless coupling system for the body   

Cross-references with other applications

This application claims priority from US Provisional Application 62 / 417,423, filed November 4, 2016, entitled "Wireless Coupling System for the Body", the disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference. Exposing part.

This disclosure relates to implantable devices in vivo, and more particularly (though not necessarily limited to) systems for wireless coupling between in vivo devices.

An in vivo implantable device may be coupled to or include a lead having a plurality of electrodes that are positioned to contact body tissue. These electrodes can sense information about body tissue, source current, or sink current to cause an electrical change in the body tissue, which can lead to the blocking or stimulation of physiological signals transmitted in the body tissue, or perform A combination of these or other features. These electrodes can be communicatively coupled to a connector of the implantable device via a plurality of wires for transmitting data and electrical or magnetic energy. Each electrode can be communicatively coupled to a contact on the connector.

More electrodes for body tissue can lead to better resolution to increase selectivity for recording and stimulation capabilities and selection. However, due to size limitations on implantable devices, the number of electrodes for body tissue is limited, and the number of connector contacts that can be physically contained in an implantable device for such electrodes is limited.

The invention discloses an implantable system including a stimulation device and an auxiliary device. The stimulation device may be positioned in the body and configured to be communicatively coupled to a plurality of electrodes, and the electrodes are configured to stimulate or block body tissue. The assistive device can be positioned in the body and includes one or more coils configured to be wirelessly coupled to the stimulation device in vivo and to an external device wirelessly.

The invention discloses an implantable device including an integrated circuit and one or more coils. The integrated circuit is configured to manage signal transmission to multiple electrodes configured to stimulate or block body tissue through an interface. The one or more coils are configured to be wirelessly coupled in vivo to an auxiliary device positioned in the body and configured to be wirelessly coupled to an extracorporeal device.

The invention discloses an implantable system including a stimulation device and an auxiliary device. The stimulation device may be positioned in vivo and configured to perform a first subset of the functions of two subsets of the implantable system to monitor, stimulate or block body tissue. The assistive device can be positioned in the body and configured to perform one of the two subsets of the functions of the implantable system. A second subset is used to monitor, stimulate, and block body tissue. The assistive device includes one or more coils configured to Wirelessly coupled to the stimulation device in vivo and configured to wirelessly couple to an external device.

10‧‧‧System

12‧‧‧ auxiliary device

14‧‧‧ Stimulator

16‧‧‧ electrode

18‧‧‧ inside the body

20‧‧‧ Body tissue

22‧‧‧ Extracorporeal device

24‧‧‧ outside the body

26, 28, 30‧‧‧ coils

32, 34‧‧‧ antenna

100‧‧‧ auxiliary device

102‧‧‧stimulation device

106‧‧‧Radio Transceiver

108‧‧‧ Antenna

110‧‧‧Memory

112‧‧‧coil driver

114‧‧‧ Battery

116‧‧‧coil

118‧‧‧Integrated Circuit

120‧‧‧coil

122‧‧‧ electrode interface

124‧‧‧adjacent link

126‧‧‧Battery / Power

200‧‧‧ auxiliary device

202‧‧‧RF Transceiver

204‧‧‧ Antenna

206‧‧‧Memory

208‧‧‧coil

210‧‧‧ Power

212‧‧‧Integrated Circuit

214‧‧‧electrode

300‧‧‧ Stimulator

302‧‧‧shell

304‧‧‧coil

306‧‧‧Battery / Power

308‧‧‧Integrated Circuit

310‧‧‧Feedthrough

400‧‧‧ Lead

402‧‧‧pressure vein belt

500‧‧‧ auxiliary device

502‧‧‧Head

600‧‧‧coil

602‧‧‧coil

700‧‧‧ Stimulator

702‧‧‧pressure vein belt

704‧‧‧Top

800‧‧‧Contact interface

801‧‧‧Contact

802‧‧‧ Conductive wire

900‧‧‧ contact interface

902‧‧‧lead wiring

904‧‧‧solder ball

FIG. 1 is a block diagram of a system having a plurality of components in a body that can be wirelessly coupled according to an example.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram of an auxiliary device and a stimulation device of an implantable system according to an example.

FIG. 3 is a block diagram of an auxiliary device according to another example.

FIG. 4A is a perspective view of a stimulation device according to an example.

FIG. 4B is a front view of the stimulation device according to an example.

FIG. 5 illustrates an example of a stimulation device coupled to a cuff comprising a plurality of electrodes via a lead according to an example.

FIG. 6 is a perspective view of the stimulation device of FIG. 5 physically contained in a part of an auxiliary device according to an example.

FIG. 7 is a side view of the stimulation device and the auxiliary device from FIG. 6 according to an example.

FIG. 8A is a perspective view of a stimulation device and a blood pressure band according to an example.

FIG. 8B is a side view of the stimulation device and the pressure cuff of FIG. 8A according to an example.

Figure 9 illustrates a partial top view of a contact interface for a stimulation device according to an example.

FIG. 10 illustrates a side view of a contact interface coupled to another component according to an example.

Some implementation aspects and features are related to wireless coupling between in-vivo devices. An in vivo stimulation device may include a coil that communicates with one of the coils of an in vivo assistive device via electromagnetic induction. With wireless coupling between in-vivo devices, components and functions can be split between more than one device, and the stimulation device can have more space to engage more electrodes for body tissue without increasing size. For example, the stimulation device may output multiple signals to multiple electrodes to stimulate or block body tissue, and receive information about the body tissue detected by the electrodes.

The combination of multiple output signals to stimulate or block body tissue and records from body tissue can be accomplished in a synchronized, instant, and closed-loop manner to achieve improved therapeutic efficacy. Furthermore, the stimulation of the source current or the sink current via the electrodes can cause an electrical change in the body tissue, which can lead to the blocking or stimulation of the physiological signals transmitted in the body tissue. Examples of body tissue include neural tissue (such as nerves of the central nervous system, nerves of the peripheral nervous system, autonomic nerves, somatic nerves, sympathetic nerves, parasympathetic nerves, spinal nerves, cranial nerves, thoracic nerves, lumbar nerves, sacral nerves, cranial nerves, Motor and sensory nerves), connective tissue (such as bones, fibrous connective tissue or blood vessels, which may be veins, arteries or microvessels), epithelial tissue and muscle tissue (which may include muscle fibers). The term body tissue is intended to include organs, which may include one or more tissue types. Thus, stimulation via electrodes can lead to signal blocking or signal stimulation (e.g., excitation), such as those of neural signals that propagate in nerves and fibers. The auxiliary device can provide multiple commands to the stimulation device to control the timing and frequency of these signals and data acquisition functions, and it can also have a larger power supply to provide power to the stimulation device without the need for patient participation.

In some examples, the assistive device may be removed from the body and the stimulation device may remain in the body. A new assist device with additional functions can then be implanted without destroying the body tissue near the electrodes coupled to the stimulation device. The new auxiliary device can output commands and power to the stimulation device wirelessly. In other examples, the assistive device may be removed (or not implanted), and the stimulation device may be wirelessly coupled with an external device (possibly a wearable device).

The stimulation device may be part of an implant medical device (IMD) architecture for a neuromodulation system, where an integrated circuit is located in a housing at a proximal end, and multiple electrodes (or body tissues are connected Point) is located at the distal end, and is configured as a cuff or other shape according to the target intervention point in the body, or is contained on a lead. Compared to conventional implanted medical devices, stimulation devices can be relatively small, and in some examples, the cross-sectional dimensions are the same or similar to the cross-sectional dimensions of a lead. A stimulation device can be hermetically incorporated in a biocompatible ceramic or glass housing with multiple electrical feedthroughs to interface with external leads and multiple electrodes (or contacts). The stimulation device may be of any shape, such as rectangular, cylindrical, or a combination of these and other shapes, to be integrated into a lead assembly and compatible with the desired anatomical target intervention site.

In some examples, the stimulation device may be communicatively coupled to a plurality of electrodes on a lead. For example, the stimulation device may generate a stimulation signal (for example, an alternating current signal in a range of 20 kHz to 50 kHz), and these electrodes may be in the form of one or more coils, where the coils are magnetically and wirelessly It is coupled to an internal coil of a stimulation device to form a resonance network. For example, since a coil has two ends, the number of electrodes can be two to stimulate or block physiological signals transmitted in body tissues. In these examples, a feedthrough interface may not be needed, which can improve the reliability of the implantable device.

According to some examples, a stimulation device may include an integrated circuit, such as at least one Application-Specific Integrated Circuit (ASIC), and may include a battery. Integrated circuits perform various functions. Examples of these functions include transmitting electrical pulses and recording data from electrodes that form a neural interface with body tissue, using an internal coil to receive power from a magnetized induction field, adjusting the power supply voltage, helping the battery charge and monitor its charging status, and An auxiliary device establishes a two-way telemetry link to exchange command functions and transmit data. The stimulation device may also include a coil for power and data telemetry. In some examples, batteries provide power in the absence of a magnetizing field.

The coil inside the stimulation device can be wirelessly coupled to an external magnetized coil via induction to energize the stimulation device and provide power to charge the battery. Alternatively, the power drawn from the magnetized field can be used to provide treatment directly to the patient without the need to charge the battery. In the absence of a sufficient magnetization field, the battery can provide power to the implanted device to provide treatment.

The battery may be smaller than the size otherwise used in implanted medical devices. Therefore, the amount of energy that can be stored and provided by the battery can be smaller than that used normally. Furthermore, because a typical rechargeable battery can only be cycled a limited number of times (eg, 500 to 2000 cycles), the total available energy during the battery life may not be sufficient to provide treatment during the expected life of the implanted device. In the event that the stimulation device lacks a battery or after the life of the battery in the stimulation device, the auxiliary device may wirelessly provide additional power to the stimulation device via induction.

The stimulation device can be wirelessly coupled to the auxiliary device to comply with a wide range of patient treatment needs beyond the therapeutic energy level without changing the components within the stimulation device. In one example, the proximal end of a lead assembly including a stimulation device body and a lead may be inserted into a connector or head secured to an auxiliary device. The head of the auxiliary device may be made of an insulating material such as epoxy, and may be a mechanical storage container for receiving the proximal end of the lead assembly. Unlike bal-seal connectors that involve electrical contacts and silicone isolation rings to accommodate each lead terminal, multiple contacts may not be required to establish a DC path between the lead assembly and the storage container . By eliminating the need for multiple electrical contacts between the lead assembly and the auxiliary device, the size of the head and the storage container can be greatly reduced.

The stimulation device and the auxiliary device can be wirelessly coupled through a near-field proximity link. When the stimulating device and the assisting device are close to each other, for example, by inserting the stimulating device (or a part of the stimulating device) into a storage container on the head of the assisting device, the stimulating device and the assisting device can be established by allowing a space between the devices. The two-way data transmission wireless channel is paired, and the power of the stimulation device should be one of the batteries when the stimulation device needs to be charged. In some examples, more than one stimulation device may be wirelessly coupled to an auxiliary device in the body, and each stimulation device may be independently addressed by using a unique numeric identification number and data protocol.

According to some examples, an auxiliary device may include a radio transceiver and an antenna for communicating with an external patient remote device or a clinician remote device. The auxiliary device may also include a processor and a memory subsystem to process and store data, manage the overall operation of the auxiliary device, and manage communication with external chargers and stimulation devices. It may contain one or more integrated circuits to manage wireless power supply between the auxiliary device and the stimulation device, battery management and adjacency link. The auxiliary device may also include a rechargeable battery to provide power to the implanted device. In another example, in addition to the stimulation device, the auxiliary device may include multiple stimulation and data recording circuits and multiple electrical feedthroughs to engage additional electrodes closest to the body tissue.

The proximity link between the assistive device and the stimulation device can be implemented using some methods. Examples of these methods include incorporating a high-efficiency transmitter such as a Class E driver or a Class D amplifier in an auxiliary device to magnetize a transmission coil that can be wirelessly coupled to a receiving coil in a stimulation device. The telemetry data may be transmitted to the stimulation device by, for example, encoding information in the amplitude or phase of a transmit carrier frequency. Similarly, telemetry data from the stimulation device to the auxiliary device can be transmitted by using load shift keying or other methods to modulate the reflected impedance.

The proximity link between the assistive device and the stimulation device may allow power provided by the assistive device to power the stimulation device and recharge the battery of the stimulation device. This power can be provided to the transmission inductor coil of the auxiliary device to generate an alternating current to magnetize the transmission inductor, thereby generating a plurality of magnetic flux lines coupled to the reception coil in the stimulation device. The voltage induced by the magnetized field can be rectified and adjusted in a way to ensure the proper operation of the stimulation device, including charging the battery with a constant current and a constant voltage charging waveform.

In another example, the transmission inductor coil may be positioned inside the head of the auxiliary device to increase the coupling strength between the transmission coil and the receiving coil and improve the overall circuit link between the auxiliary device and the stimulation device. effectiveness. A single auxiliary device can be wirelessly coupled to multiple stimulation devices by having a single or multiple transmission coils of the auxiliary device surround an area the size of a receiving coil spanning multiple stimulation devices. For example, a transmission coil may be incorporated inside a head storage container that can accommodate a stimulation device.

In another example, a single coil in an auxiliary device can be used to transmit power to the stimulation device and to receive power from an external charger as an extracorporeal device. In a similar configuration, the coils of the auxiliary device can be manufactured to strongly resonate with the stimulation device to increase the overall efficiency of the power link between an external charger and these implanted devices. This strongly coupled resonance effect can be used to improve the efficiency of wireless charging between an external charger and an auxiliary device, or between an external charger and a stimulation device, thereby enabling the stimulation device to be charged directly from an external power source .

In some examples, the stimulation device may be coupled to an integrated pressure band. The compression band can be directly coupled to an artery, vein or nerve, such as a peripheral nerve, without the need for a lead between the stimulation device and the compression band. Power can be provided by a stimulation device battery or directly by an external energizing field coupled to the coil of the stimulation device.

Using the various examples of this disclosure, an implantable system can be adapted to different target intervention sites, nerve / electrode interfaces, and therapeutic energy delivery needs for stimulation and interruption. For example, a stimulating device with a unibody that is an integrated pressure venous band may allow the stimulating device to be directly coupled to an artery, vein, or nerve, such as a peripheral nerve. The energy provided by the feed is generally considered low. When multiple leads are used to transition from a very small neural interface to a slightly larger lead assembly, the same stimulation device may be additionally incorporated into a short lead assembly. The same stimulation device can be paired with an auxiliary device seamlessly by using wireless coupling technology without changing the lead arrangement. This configuration may be used when the therapeutic energy requirement exceeds the amount of energy that can be provided by a power source within the stimulation device. In some examples, implanted devices with larger energy sources (eg, in assistive devices) can be used to ensure that treatment is performed without the need for patient compliance.

A detailed description of some examples is discussed below. These illustrative examples are provided to introduce the reader to the general topics discussed here, and are not intended to limit the scope of the concepts disclosed. The following paragraphs describe various additional implementation modes and examples with reference to the drawings. In these drawings, the same numbers represent the same elements, and the directional description is used to describe the illustrative examples, but is the same as the illustrative examples. Used to limit this disclosure. The various figures described below depict examples of embodiments of the disclosure, but should not be used to limit the disclosure.

FIG. 1 is a block diagram of a system 10 having a plurality of components in a body that can be wirelessly coupled according to an example. The system 10 includes an auxiliary device 12 and a stimulation device 14 coupled to a lead having a plurality of electrodes 16. Both the auxiliary device 12 and the stimulation device 14 are positioned on the inner side 18 of the body tissue 20, where the electrodes of the stimulation device 14 can be positioned to make physical contact with the internal body tissue 20. This system also includes an extracorporeal device 22 that is positioned on the outer side 24 of the body tissue 20. The extracorporeal device 22 may be wirelessly coupled to the auxiliary device 12 via the coils 26 and 28, respectively.

The assistive device 12 may include one or more coils 28 for wirelessly coupling to the extracorporeal device 22 and the stimulation device 14. For example, the auxiliary device 12 may provide power and commands to the stimulation device 14 including a plurality of coils 30 by being wirelessly coupled to the in-vivo stimulation device 14. The stimulation device 14 may stimulate or block the body tissue 20, collect information about the body tissue from the electrodes, or perform other functions. The auxiliary device 12 and the extracorporeal device 22 may include antennas 32 and 34, respectively, for connecting information and commands through multiple radio frequency signals to supplement or replace the wireless inductive coupling link.

In other examples, although the stimulation device 14 can also be connected to the auxiliary device 12 via wireless coupling, it can be directly and wirelessly coupled to the extracorporeal device 22, and the auxiliary device 12 may not exist. In some examples, the stimulation device 14 includes a radio transceiver and an antenna (not shown) to supplement or replace the external device 22 connected to the external device 22 via inductive coupling. In addition, the presence of both the stimulation device 14 and the auxiliary device 12, each having coils 28 and 30 having a resonance frequency, can bring an expansion effect to the wireless coupling with the external device 22 and improve the power with the external device 22 And communication transmission.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram of an auxiliary device 100 and a stimulation device 102 of an implantable system according to an example. The auxiliary device 100 includes a radio transceiver 106 in communication with an antenna 108, a processor and a memory 110, and a coil driver 112 for wirelessly outputting high-voltage power. The coil driver 112 is coupled to a power source and one or more coils 116. The power source is a battery 114, and the coil 116 is used to wirelessly couple an external device (shown in FIG. 1) and the stimulation device 102. Figure 2 shows two coils 116, but any number of coils may be used, including one.

The processor can execute instructions stored in the memory for performing certain operations on the auxiliary device. The processor may include a single processing device or multiple processing devices. Examples of processors include a field programmable gate array, a special purpose integrated circuit ("ASIC"), and a microprocessor. At least a portion of the memory may include a non-transitory computer-readable medium from which a processor may access and execute instructions of the memory. Computer-readable media may include electrical, optical, magnetic or other storage devices capable of providing a processor computer-readable instructions or other code. Examples of computer-readable media include flash memory, memory chips, read-only memory, random access memory (such as ferroelectric random access memory or phase change memory), and a special-purpose integrated circuit , A configuration processor, and optical storage. Such instructions may include multiple processor-specific instructions generated by a compiler or an interpreter from code written in any suitable computer programming language, such as C, C ++, C #, a combination program Language, etc.

These instructions contain one or more applications or other engines that instruct the processor to perform various functions. Examples of these functions include receiving multiple commands from multiple signals received by the radio transceiver 106, outputting multiple commands to the stimulation device 102 to stimulate or block body tissue, storing data received from the stimulation device 102, and controlling Power is transmitted to the stimulation device.

The stimulation device 102 includes an integrated circuit 118, one or more coils 120, and an electrode interface 122. FIG. 2 shows one coil 120 for the stimulation device 102, but any number of coils may be used. The coil 120 may be wirelessly coupled to a coil 116 of the auxiliary device 100 via a proximity link 124 to receive power or exchange data. The electrode interface 122 may allow the stimulation device 102 to be communicatively coupled to a plurality of electrodes for body tissue, to output a plurality of stimuli or interrupt electrical signals and to receive data from these electrodes.

The integrated circuit 118 can perform various functions, such as providing high voltage stimulation, data recording and management wireless coupling, power and data transmission, and battery charging. Included in the stimulation device is a power source 126 (a battery in this embodiment), which can be charged by the power wirelessly transmitted from the auxiliary device 100. The battery 126 in the stimulation device 102 may be smaller than the battery 114 of the auxiliary device 100. In other examples, the stimulation device does not include a battery, but instead is powered by an assistive device or an external device via wireless coupling.

FIG. 3 is a block diagram of an auxiliary device 200 according to another example. In addition to the RF transceiver 202 and antenna 204, the processor and memory 206, one or more coils 208, and the power supply 210, the auxiliary device 200 includes an integrated circuit 212, which is a coil receiver / driver and an electrode interface. The electrode interface may allow the auxiliary device to be communicatively coupled to a plurality of electrodes 214 for use in body tissue. The integrated circuit 212 can control a plurality of electrical signals provided to the electrodes 214 and receive data from the electrodes 214. In addition to a stimulating device, an auxiliary device 200 may be used to provide a larger number of electrodes for body tissue.

4A and 4B show a stimulation device 300 according to one of some examples. FIG. 4A is a perspective view of the stimulation device 300. FIG. FIG. 4B is a front view of the stimulation device 300. The stimulation device 300 in FIGS. 4A and 4B has a rectangular shape having a height greater than a width. Together with thickness, height and width can be selected for a specific application and performance. However, according to one of the other examples, the stimulation device may be shaped differently, for example, shaped into a cylindrical shape.

The stimulation device 300 has a housing 302, which in this example is transparent glass. An example of another type of casing is a ceramic casing. Inside the housing is a coil 304, a power source 306, and an integrated circuit 308. The power source 306 is a battery, and the integrated circuit 308 is a special-purpose integrated circuit. The coil 304 may surround the battery 306 and the integrated circuit 308. In other examples, the stimulation device 300 does not include a battery, which can make the package smaller.

The stimulation device 300 also has a contact interface, which includes one or more feedthroughs 310, as shown in FIG. 4B. A feedthrough 310 may be a conductive contact that may be coupled to a wiring or other medium used to communicatively couple the integrated circuit to one or more electrodes for use in body tissue. The feedthrough 310 can extend through the housing 302, so that wiring or other media can be coupled to the feedthrough 310. By segmenting the functions and components between the stimulation device 300 and an auxiliary device, the contact interface can be physically larger and include more contacts for communicatively coupling to more electrodes for body tissue.

FIG. 5 illustrates an example of an stimulation device 300 coupled to a pressure pulse band 402 including a plurality of electrodes via a lead 400 according to an example. The lead 400 may include a tube, a cylinder, or other support structure, and one or more wires are wound around it to communicatively couple the stimulation device to an electrode included in the pressure pulse band 400. The cuff 400 can be sized to be placed closest to a body tissue, such as an artery, vein or nerve, such as a peripheral nerve in the body. Compression strap 400 may position the electrode closest to the body tissue to be treated or monitored. These wirings can provide bidirectional signal transmission, so that electrical signals can be provided to the electrodes, and data from the electrodes can be provided to the stimulation device 300.

The stimulation device 300 in FIG. 5 may be positioned at a distance relative to an auxiliary device (shown in FIG. 6), so that the stimulation device 300 is wirelessly coupled to an auxiliary device via a coil. The stimulation device 300 and the auxiliary device may be physically separate or the stimulation device 300 may physically contact the auxiliary device, but communicate via wireless coupling.

FIG. 6 is a perspective view of the stimulation device 300 of FIG. 5 physically contained in a portion of an auxiliary device 500 according to an example. The auxiliary device 500 includes a head 502 having a port shaped to receive and maintain the stimulation device 300. The head 502 can be shaped similar to a cassette case, so that the stimulation device 300 can be driven by a deliberate force, such as from a medical professional or from a tool, rather than from forces typically experienced by, for example, an in-vivo device. Unintentional force while being removed. FIG. 7 is a side view of the stimulation device 300 and the auxiliary device 500 from FIG. 6 without showing the head 502 according to an example. Although the stimulation device and the auxiliary device may present physical contact, the communication between the devices may be via a wireless coupling between the coil 600 of the stimulation device 300 and the coil 602 of the auxiliary device 500, as indicated by the double arrow in FIG. Show by.

8A and 8B illustrate a stimulation device 700 having a pressure band 702 according to an example. The blood pressure belt 702 has a top portion 704 that is molded to receive the stimulation device 700 to form a "one-piece body" design. The top portion 702 may also be shaped to maintain the stimulation device 700, or an attachment mechanism may be used to maintain the stimulation device 700 in the top portion 702. A contact interface of the stimulation device 700 can communicatively couple the stimulation device to the electrode without using a lead.

According to some examples, an implantable system can accommodate a high density of contacts for a stimulation device to accommodate a larger number of electrodes. In some examples, a semiconductor interface may be used to fabricate a contact interface 800 to increase the number and density of contacts. FIG. 9 illustrates a partial cutaway view of a contact interface 800 for a stimulation device according to some examples. The contact interface 800 includes a plurality of contacts 801 having a plurality of conductive lines 802, which couple the contacts to wirings, or couple other media to electrodes (not shown). The contacts 801 and the conductive lines 802 can be fabricated through an etched semiconductor process or a lithographic process compatible with planar semiconductor manufacturing, and used to construct multiple contacts and circuits on a substrate in a precise manner. In other examples, the laser energy can be used to construct these contacts 801 and conductive lines 802 to add or remove features on the substrate. FIG. 10 illustrates a side view of an example in which the contact interface 900 is coupled to a lead wiring 902 or a dielectric via a plurality of solder balls 904 to enable the contacts of the contact interface to be coupled to the wiring in a flexible manner. In other examples, one epoxy or another physical coupling configuration may be used to couple the contact interface to one or more lead wiring.

The use of an implantable system architecture based on some examples may provide in vivo systems with flexibility in determining a physical footprint. For example, a stimulation device can be used independently of or together with an auxiliary device, coupled to a lead with multiple electrodes, coupled to a pressure cuff with multiple electrodes via a lead, directly It is coupled to the pressure belt, physically separated from the auxiliary device, or physically coupled to the auxiliary device.

The foregoing descriptions of the embodiments (including the illustrated embodiments) of the present invention have been presented for the purpose of illustration and description only, and are not intended to be exhaustive or to limit the invention to the precise forms disclosed. Many modifications, changes, and uses will be apparent to those skilled in the art without departing from the scope of the invention. The illustrative examples described above are given to introduce the reader to the general topics discussed herein, and not to limit the scope of the concepts disclosed.

Claims (17)

    An implantable system includes: a stimulation device that can be positioned in the body and configured to be communicatively coupled to a plurality of electrodes that are configured to stimulate or block body tissue; and an auxiliary device that can be positioned in the body and includes One or more coils configured to be wirelessly coupled to the stimulation device in vivo and wirelessly coupled to an external device.         The implantable system according to item 1 of the scope of patent application, wherein the stimulation device includes: an integrated circuit configured to manage signal transmission to the electrodes through an interface; and one or more stimulation device coils configured The device is wirelessly coupled to the auxiliary device in vivo and is configured to be wirelessly coupled to the external device.         The implantable system according to item 2 of the scope of patent application, wherein the stimulation device comprises: a power source for the integrated circuit, and the power source is rechargeable.         The implantable system according to item 2 of the patent application scope, wherein the auxiliary device includes: a power source that can be charged by the external device through wireless coupling; a radio transceiver; and an antenna for providing a wireless path from Use of multiple signals of the radio transceiver separated from wireless coupling; a processor; and a non-transitory computer-readable medium storing a plurality of instructions executable by the processor: Multiple commands of multiple signals received by the device; outputting multiple commands to the stimulation device to stimulate or block the body tissue; storing data received from the stimulation device; and controlling power transmission to the stimulation device.         The implantable system according to item 4 of the scope of patent application, wherein the auxiliary device further comprises: an auxiliary device integrated circuit configured to manage through an auxiliary device interface to reach additional electrodes configured to stimulate or block the body tissue Signal transmission.         The implantable system according to item 2 of the scope of patent application, wherein the stimulation device includes the interface to the electrodes, the interface includes one or more feedthroughs, so that a plurality of wirings connected to the electrodes can be coupled Connected to a plurality of stimulation device contacts in a housing of the stimulation device, the interface is formed by using a laser or a lithographic process compatible with planar semiconductor manufacturing.         The implantable system according to item 1 of the scope of patent application, further comprising: a pressure venous band including the electrodes, the pressure venous band can locate an artery, vein or nerve closest to the body, wherein the stimulation device It is configured to be directly or indirectly coupled to the blood pressure band via a lead.         The implantable system according to item 7 of the scope of the patent application, wherein the pressure pulse band includes a top portion, which is formed to receive and maintain the stimulation device.         The implantable system according to item 1 of the patent application scope, wherein the stimulation device is coupled to a lead including the electrodes.         An implantable device includes: an integrated circuit configured to manage signal transmission to multiple electrodes configured to stimulate or block body tissue through an interface; and one or more coils configured to be wirelessly coupled in the body Connected to an auxiliary device positioned in the body and configured to be wirelessly coupled to an extracorporeal device.         The implantable device described in item 10 of the scope of patent application, further includes: a power source for the integrated circuit, the power source is rechargeable.         The implantable device according to item 10 of the patent application scope further includes a feedthrough configured to couple one or more wires connected to the electrodes to one of the shells of the implantable device. Or multiple stimulation device contacts, the interface is formed by using a laser or a lithographic process compatible with planar semiconductor manufacturing.         The implantable device according to item 10 of the patent application scope, wherein the integrated circuit and the one or more coils are enclosed in a casing.         The implantable device according to item 13 of the scope of patent application, further comprising: a blood pressure band including the electrodes, the blood pressure band can locate an artery, vein or nerve closest to the body, wherein the shell is It is configured to be directly or indirectly coupled to the pressure pulse band via a lead.         The implantable device according to item 13 of the application, wherein the casing is coupled to a lead including the electrodes.         The implantable device according to item 10 of the patent application scope, wherein the auxiliary device is configured to wirelessly couple the extracorporeal device, the auxiliary device includes: a processor; and a non-transitory computer-readable medium, in A plurality of instructions are stored thereon, which are executable by the processor: outputting a plurality of commands to the implantable device to stimulate or block the body tissue; storing data received from the implantable device; and controlling power To the implantable device.         An implantable system comprising: a stimulation device that can be positioned in the body and configured to perform a first subset of the functions of two subsets of the implantable system to monitor, stimulate or block body tissue; And an auxiliary device that can be positioned and configured in the body to perform a second subset of the functions of the two subsets of the implantable system to monitor, stimulate, and block the body tissue, the auxiliary device includes a Or a plurality of coils configured to be wirelessly coupled to the stimulation device in vivo and configured to be wirelessly coupled to an external device.